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The
Tri-State University Humanities Institute
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The
Tri-State University Humanities Institute
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September
9 The Station Agent (2003) (1:29) [Rated R]
Three unusual, appealing, and diverse people "discover" themselves and each other.
The movie’s writer and director…has such an appreciation for quiet that [the key setting, an isolated train depot,] occupies the same space as a character in this film, a delicate, thoughtful and often hilarious take on loneliness." (Elvis Mitchell, New York Times)
Sponsored by TSU’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society
16 School of Rock (2003) (1:49) [Rated PG-13]
When a jumping Jack Black (High Fidelity) impersonates his substitute-teacher roommate, he creates some splendid rhythms and a unique brand of comic happiness among his ten-year-old students.
"One of the biggest highs I’ve had at the movies in years." (David Edelstein, Slate.com)
23 My Architect (2003) (1:56) [Not Rated]
This acclaimed but scarcely-seen personal and critical examination of famous American architect Louis Kahn by his illegitimate son Nathaniel is one of the best and most affecting documentary films ever made.
My Architect is a "fascinating portrait of an eccentric visionary and his chaotic triple family life" that is "an accomplished, enormously satisfying nonfiction work" (David Rooney, Variety). It is "an unsentimental journey, alternatively rapturous and rigorous" (Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer). Leonard Maltin calls it "a quietly profound and beautiful film about dreams, goals, disappointments, and realities."
October
7 Dirty Pretty Things
(2003) (1:37) [Rated R]Actress Audrey Tautou (Amelie) stars in director Stephen Frears’ "exciting but brainy, cross-cultural thriller about modern London and life in a contemporary urban pressure cooker."
In achieving its effects, the film "depends more on plot, character and atmosphere than it does on chases and gunfire." (Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune)
14 The Triplets of Belleville
(2004) (France) (1:21) [Rated PG-13]"A doting grandmother enlists the help of three eccentric Jazz Age singers—the Triplets of Belleville—in order to help rescue her grandson from kidnapers after the boy enters the world famous Tour de France bicycle race. This amazing animated film is involving, exciting and hilarious. A madcap milestone in…narrative and visual style." (newyorkerfilms.com)
"A tour de force! Stuffed nearly to bursting with astounding sequences." (A. O. Scott, New York Times)
28 Northfork (2003) (1:43) [Rated PG-13]
Nominally the story of a government-led land evacuation for a new dam in 1950s Montana, this artfully monochromatic, ethereally spooky film stars Nick Nolte and Daryl Hannah. It was written and directed by the immensely talented twin brothers Mark and Michael Polish (Twin Falls, Idaho).
"At once credulous and coy, ‘Northfork’ refuses to mark the boundary between dream and reality, conjuring a seamless world in which every mundane detail carries an aura of hushed enchantment." (A. O. Scott)
November
4 Ulee's Gold (1997) (1:53) [Rated R]Director Victor Nunez presented Peter Fonda the dramatic role of a lifetime in this story of an aging businessman and his family’s challenges and redemptions.
"We learn something about bees, and a lot about beekeepers, but…all of the information is used in the story, especially in a scene where one of the granddaughters uses bees in a parable she tells her mother. Basically, it comes down to: You take care of them, and they’ll take care of you." (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)
Sponsored by "Steuben READ Express" in conjunction with its The Secret Life of Bees project.
A brief discussion will follow this screening.
Actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd make director Robert Zemeckis’s now-classic "science fiction" comedy a constant delight for viewers of all ages.
"One of the things all teenagers believe is that their parents were never teenagers. Their parents were, perhaps, children once. They are undeniably adults now, but how could they have ever been teenagers, and yet not understand their own children?" (Roger Ebert)
18 Strangers on a Train
(1951) (1:43) (B & W) [Not Rated]"First-class Hitchcock, based on a Patricia Highsmith novel and coscripted by Raymond Chandler," this suspense drama afforded actor Robert Walker "his finest performance as a psychopath involved with a tennis star [played by Farley] Granger in ‘exchange murders.’"(Leonard Maltin’s 2005 Movie Guide)
"A timeless treat, a marvelous display of Hitchcock’s absolute mastery of his medium and a deliciously dark comedy as well." (Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times)
December
2 Lost in Translation
(2003) (1:42) [Rated R]Although this comedy garnered over 80 four-star reviews, a 94% approval rating on the critical summary site <rottentomatoes.com>, and a best original screenplay Oscar for its director, Sofia Coppola, the film is still notorious for seeming to make viewers either love it or hate it.
See what YOU think about its low-key story and the celebrated performances by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.
"Melancholy and longing have rarely looked so attractive—even desirable—nor has a movie with opportunities for ‘Lolita’-hood been turned into so subtle, wise, and often funny a study of chance encounter." (Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly)
Questions or comments regarding
the Cinema Sampler should be directed to the following:
Dr. Dennis Petrie
(260) 665-4204 or
e-mail petried@tristate.edu
Links to the Tri-State University Humanities Institute
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